


currents (that take you home)

by Mamichigo



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23221792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamichigo/pseuds/Mamichigo
Summary: Song that cut the quiet of the wilderness, but fit in with all the natural noises perfectly. That was how Link remembered Kass.
Relationships: Kass & Link (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 120





	currents (that take you home)

**Author's Note:**

> Rito Village Will forever be my favorite place, and I love Kass so much. I'm glad he's home, but I miss him...
> 
> This is dedicated to my best friend, who not only made playing this game possible, but also brings me happiness with all her small and big gestures.

As faint as the music was, carried over by the sea breeze, Link heard it before he could see a lone figure atop a stone pillar. He recognized it as well, and though he couldn't see the familiar blue plumage in the dark of the night, he knew it was Kass just from the melody. Even if it took some climbing, he followed the sound to the Rito, who didn't notice his approach lost as he was in the notes of his accordion.

Careful not to scare him, Link tapped his wing twice. Though he startled, Kass turned with the same calm with which he always held himself. As his gaze fell upon Link, his eyes widened, but his expression softened, a smile tugging at the edge of his beak. Link smiled back and waved.

"I certainly didn't expect to see anyone else up here," Kass said, but there was no surprise in his voice. After encountering each other in so many unexpected places, the sentence was more an inside joke than an expression of his true feelings. "I hope you are doing well, my friend."

Link started on a sign for "dead tired", but paused and shook his head to himself. He shrugged. "Nothing some food and rest can't cure," he signed finally.

Kass had a knowing air to him as he said, "Strange that I found you here, instead of at a stable, then," Kass commented. Link hesitated a moment, shuffling on his feet, so Kass laid an encouraging wing on his shoulder. "Is something on your mind?"

He sighed and sat down at the pillar's edge so his legs dangled; Kass' wing was dislodged to his back, and it remained there.

He groped for words for a whole minute, but nothing came to him. Even when he raised his hands, it resulted in nothing, and they hovered there uncertain of what to do. Link didn't look at Kass, but he could feel the sympathy with which he was regarded. Filled with embarrassment, Link scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, then," Kass spoke up, taking pity on him, "would you be amenable to hearing a song?" Link peered up at him, and Kass returned the look. "It would be our last."

Confused, Link frowned. He turned to the side so Kass had a better view of his hands. "What do you mean?"

"We have both been to so many places, and met along the way," he said with a note of nostalgia. "The last song my teacher passed down to me is of this very place. After that, I have nothing else to sing to you."

A pregnant pause. Kass watched him from the corner of his eyes, his fingers distractedly pressing on buttons.

"What will you do?" Link asked, and Kass tilted his head. "After the last song is done."

Kass hummed and looked out at the horizon, though the eagles cawing almost made the sound unheard. "Home should be my next destination. It's been awfully long since I've seen my family."

Home, to Rito Village. Link had just been there himself, and could still feel its chilly air on his cheeks. It was nothing like the breeze here, by the oceanside, where the very air tasted of salt. Whenever he thought of the place, he saw hammocks and welcoming smiles, if a little on the more reserved side. It suited him just fine, Link thought. It was no wonder Kass wished to go back, especially with a family waiting for him. Link thought of his own "home", or the closest thing to it he had; removed from the rest of Hateno, a place where only the weapons hung on the walls spoke of a person's inhabitance of it. Link shrunk into himself.

At his lack of response, Kass nudged his shoulder. "Would you like to hear the song?"

He shook his head fast enough to give himself whiplash. Realizing how quickly he had refused, Link flushed. "Not yet," he explained. "Just a little longer."

"Just a little longer," Kass echoed. "Time never runs as we want it to, does it?"

Link chuckled, and was not surprised to find the sound was wobbly. "It really doesn't."

Maybe accepting that they would be there awhile, Kass sat down as well, careful not to drop his accordion. Their shoulders knocked together and jostled Link, to which Kass apologized, but Link smiled and waved a hand.

Kass inspected his profile. "You have been to Rito Village, then?" He asked, eyes on the braids that Link hadn't bothered to undo quite yet. 

Link ran a finger over the ruby that dangled from his hair, felt the strands that fell off the braid. "I have." As an afterthought, he added, "It's a beautiful place."

"I must admit I didn't think a Hylian would appreciate it much." Link made an affronted sound, and Kass laughed. "Your kind seems drawn to places of more opulent making, like Zora's Domain, or even Gerudo Town, from what I've heard."

"Those places are nice too," Link signed, and hoped Kass didn't point out the fact that he had included Gerudo Town in his affirmation. "But…"

"But?"

Link leaned back on the palm of his hands and kicked his feet in the air. Feeling at ease, he whispered, "Rito Village is simpler. Peaceful," Link spoke quietly. He closed his eyes and imagined the wooden houses, the smell of food that always seemed to permeate the place. If he tried hard enough, he could even feel the warmth of the fire where he could usually find Amali and at least one of her daughters.

"It's rare to find someone who takes a liking to that kind of thing. To many, it's almost monotonous." Kass chuckled. "Wherever I go, I find adventurers in search of great treasure, or maybe just the thrill of the journey."

Link scrunched up his nose. "I have enough of that." 

His voice was scratchy from disuse, as it usually was, but it didn't seem to bother Kass. Instead, he shared an amused and knowing smile with him.

"Then I can see why you'd like Rito Village."

Link nodded in agreement. While the place made it hard to forget the Calamity, what with the clear view of the Castle in the distance, it also made it easy to believe there was something beyond that fight. It was a comfort he found nowhere else.

He glanced at Kass with some guilt.

"Your family," he started, and saw the way Kass' entire attention shifted to focus on his next words. "They'll be alright."

Kass' softened with fondness. "I never doubted they would. But what makes you say that?"

"The Beast, I… It's been taken care of."

For a long moment, silence reigned once again, and Kass appraised him with too sharp eyes. Link wondered if Kass could read past his words, if he could catch hidden meanings from the air with ease. It felt like it, and yet Link was too afraid to ask how much he knew.

"I'm thankful my home is safe," was all Kass said, but Link was warmed by it all the same. It was all he needed.

Somehow, he was reminded of Teba's acknowledging nod every time they happened to pass by each other the times Link spent in the Village.

"I'm guessing you've had your own share of trouble there?" Kass gestured to his headdress. It took a moment for Link to remember that the fray of the fight had taken the feathers that should be behind his ear, by the golden piece. "What a shame."

Link traced the empty space with mournful regret. "I never got the time to have it repaired…"

Kass scanned the damage, including the loose braids. "It's nothing we can't take care of, I'm sure."

The meaning of his words evaded Link, who stared at Kass waiting for clarification. Instead of words, Kass simply reached for one of his own feathers by the curve of his wing, and Link gasped when he plucked it. He frantically looked from Kass to the feather.

"Don't look so alarmed, I won't feel the absence of a single feather." That did little to calm Link. Kass touched his wing to Link's head. "Besides, if you are to be wearing armor of Rito making, might as well have it looking its best, don't you agree?"

That was enough to stop Link's protests before he could voice them, aware that Rito, like all the other races, were quite proud of their own designs and craftsmanship. He clamped his mouth shut and let Kass fuss over his headdress, working his own feather into Link's hair in a way that wouldn't easily fall off at a mere gust of wind.

Suddenly, he was struck with the image of Revali's disdainful stare. Though he couldn't remember him all that well, Link was sure Revali would be outraged to find that any Rito would willingly give him one of their feathers. The thought made him laugh.

"This should do," Kass announced, once he deemed the feather secure enough. "It's only one feather, but I assure you it looks better than none at all."

Link mourned the fact that it was so late and he couldn't see his reflection on the water below, and his shield only showed an opaque, lineless version of himself. He made a mental note to check how it looked as soon as he could. That wasn't to say that he doubted Kass' opinion, especially as the gesture counted much more than any looks ever would. Link smiled so wide it made his cheeks hurt.

"Thank you," he said, and hoped his appreciation was as loud and clear in his voice as it was in his heart.

"No need to thank me, my friend."

He touched the feather and felt its edges, the softness of it. Link looked up at Kass. "When you return home, can I visit you?"

Kass lay a protective wing on his shoulder. "I'd be saddened if you didn't." 

More confident than he'd been before, Link nodded, and asked, "Could you sing me the last song?"

Kass patted him one last time before raising himself, fingers already started on the music. "It would be my pleasure."

As the first notes played, Link closed his eyes and made a promise to himself, a single word.

_Soon._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open for chatting over at [Tumblr](https://mamichigo.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ma_michigo)


End file.
